


Never Alone

by jeleania



Series: Making It Work [3]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen, Jack's got issues, Jamie is an awesome kid, brothers by choice, but at least he's trying to deal with them, reference of self-harm (kinda), reference of suicide, reference to eating problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-19
Updated: 2013-07-19
Packaged: 2017-12-20 15:49:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/889054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeleania/pseuds/jeleania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and Jamie share a fun night with friends.</p><p>But it's hard to leave one's issues at the door, especially when you have a perceptive and concerned little brother.</p><p>(changed the title from "Not Too Lonely")</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Alone

* * *

 

"C'mon, c'mon..." Jamie chanted, fists clenched.

 

Battle cries sounded from the television, four boys and one teenager with their eyes glued to the screen.

 

"Dude! You didn't!" Caleb cried in outrage.

 

"Oh, I so did." Claude chuckled, frantically pressing buttons.

 

"Foul play from the brother, ouch." Jack sniped, eyes narrowed slightly in concentration.

 

"Wha?!"

 

"No!"

 

Triumphant music played as the last opponents were soundly defeated.

 

"Yes!" Jamie cheered, then held out a hand. Jack high fived him, eyes bright with glee.

 

"Not cool." Claude pouted, flopping onto his back with the controller in his lap. "Lost to freaking Kirby. Again."

 

"Jack, are you sure you've never played this before?" Monty asked, having been the first player to be defeated.

 

"First time playing this game, I swear on ... um... Oh! I swear on the earth." The winter spirit replied, holding a hand up with a solemn expression as if being sworn in.

 

"On the earth?" Caleb asked, brow wrinkled. "Aren't you a Guardian? I thought their thing was the Moon or something..."

 

Putting the game controller onto the carpet, Jack stretched his arms over his head, feeling his back pop a tad. Relaxing back down, he answered, "Well, I may be a Guardian now, but I'm a seasonal first and foremost. I've been taking care of kids ever since becoming a spirit, but I'm also Winter. So it's like I have two jobs, or rather one of them has become official now."

 

Not quite getting it but deciding to roll with it, Caleb stood and nudged his twin brother with a toe. "Dude, c'mon. Let's go grab some snacks and hook up the laptop. I wanna watch that new Spiderman movie."

 

Getting to his feet, Claude followed, grumbling, "Why Spiderman? The Batman movies are so much cooler."

 

"No way! Spiderman has..." The boys' voices trailed off as they walked down the stairs. Monty booted up the laptop and started hunting for the cords to connect it to the TV. Meanwhile, Jamie gathered the game controllers while Jack stacked up the games they'd been playing. Claude and Caleb had gotten the new Super Smash Bros and already owned a few other multi-players, so they'd invited Jamie and Monty for a sleep over of video game and movie fun. Jack had been visiting Jamie again and had of course been invited along.

 

Monty finished wiring the computer to the big screen television and pulled up Netflix. With a stretch, he muttered, "Be back. Gotta use the can." and wandered out the door.

 

Jamie sighed in relaxation, leaning back against one of the twin's beds. So far, it had been a good night. He thoughtfully watched Jack scan through the movie selections. His big brother was smiling more tonight, but there was still something troubled in those blue eyes. Realizing that it was going to keep bothering him, he gnawed on his bottom lip, trying to decide whether to ask now or later at home.

 

"What's on your mind, Jamie?" Jack asked softly, not taking his eyes from the laptop screen.

 

With a mental shrug, the preteen asked, "I should be asking you that question. You've been quiet. Or quieter than usual. What's up?"

 

Giving a sigh of his own, Jack leaned against the second bed, wrapping his arms around his bent knees. "I guess I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop."

 

"Whatcha mean?"

 

"It's been a week since Bunny found out about...." Jack waved a hand. "You know. I keep waiting to be called by the other Guardians, for them to confront me or something."

 

"Maybe he hasn't told them." Jamie suggested. After all, if they weren't paying enough attention to realize Jack was having trouble with things, who was to say they'd exchange information with each other about him. The realization that those who were supposed to take care of kids had been neglecting Jack for so long was not a pleasant one for Jamie. If he could get to the workshop, he'd have - _words_ \- to share with North. Probably even a few that would make Mom and Jack scold him for using.

 

"I doubt that." Jack replied, grabbing a handful of hair and tugging sharply in agitation. "No way he didn't go running off to blab my problems to them."

 

Reaching over, the brown haired boy tapped his brother's hand. "Quit that. Don't go hurting yourself, Jack."

 

"I'm not." Sulky blue met worried brown, and the teen sighed, letting go of white locks. "It's not that bad, Jamie."

 

"But you do it to hurt yourself, and that's not healthy." Jamie refuted. "Don't think I haven't noticed some of the other marks either. You wouldn't want me to go cutting my wrists or anything."

 

Eyes widened, Jack uncurled and snatched one of Jamie's forearms. "You haven't, right? Please tell me the truth, Jamie. I mean, I know that kids can bully and tease, but you have me and your friends and -"

 

"Woah woah, breathe Jack!" Jamie squeezed the winter spirit's knee with the hand of his not captured limb, startled by the genuine fear in the other's eyes and expression. "I haven't done anything like that. I haven't even thought of it. And if I ever did, I promise I'd talk to you. I promise."

 

Hearing the sincerity in the young voice, Jack sighed in relief, then reached out and hugged his little brother. "Good, good. 'Cause I'm here, and I'll help you, and just please please keep that promise."

 

Wrapping his arms around the teen, Jamie leaned into the narrow chest, his cheek brushing against the natural frost decorating the soft blue hoodie. "I will. I promise. I'm okay, Jack, I'm okay."

 

After a moment, Jack drew back, swiping a sleeve over his eyes. Jamie stayed close, leaning against his brother's side. He didn't care if any of the others said anything. Jack needed him right now. Once the spirit seemed a bit calmer, Jamie carefully asked, "Can I know what all that was about?"

 

"Hm? Oh, well." Jack didn't quite meet the kid's eyes, curling up on himself in a way that always makes something twist unhappily in Jamie's chest. "I've - I've seen kids who, you know, have taken their lives when things got tough. They lose hope and forget how to reach for dreams and can't grasp any good memories, and they just - just can't find a reason to keep going. I try to help them as best I can, but some are just too far gone..."

 

A feeling of unease curled in his gut, something about the tone of his big brother's voice sparking an unpleasant thought. Biting his lip again, Jamie quietly asked, "Did you ever think of, you know..."

 

Jack's fingers clenched the cloth of his hoodie, downcast eyes staring at the ground. He didn't answer.

 

The room was still and silent for a long tense moment, both waiting anxiously for the other to speak.

 

Taking a deep breath, Jamie pushed his reeling thoughts into a mental corner. His brother was clearly uncomfortable and probably less than a minute from literally flying out the window. They'd talk about this more later, when Jack wasn't ready to panic and run. Putting on a casual air, he rhetorically asked, "I wonder what's taking everyone so long? Oh, and I told the twins you don't eat stuff with processed sugars and preservatives, that snacks like fresh fruit and bread rolls were better for you. So you don't have to worry about that. I didn't tell them why, just that you don't eat that junk food stuff very much."

 

"Great." Jack replied, also putting on a more cheerful front and forcing tense muscles relax him into a more causal pose. "Thanks for that."

 

"No problem." Leaning into his brother's side, he quietly said with all due seriousness, "And Jack? I'm here for you too."

 

Wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders, Jack gave his awesome little brother a halfway hug. Feeling genuinely calmer, even warmer somehow, he softly replied, "I know, Jamie. Thank you."

 

They sat in silence together a little while. Then the twins and Monty came tumbling back into the room. Turns out the spectacle-wearing boy had gone downstairs to help the twins carry up the food. None of them blinked an eyelash at the fact Jack and Jamie were practically cuddling together, deciding it was none of their business, and if it was or needed to be, Jamie would tell them later. The four boys all argued about which movies to watch, finally deciding on a marathon of superheroes when Jack mentioned he hadn't seen any of the ones they were fighting over save the recent Avengers movie he'd watched with Jamie once.

 

Later that night, with all the human boys fast asleep, Jack carefully re-positioned a few awkwardly angled body parts and covered any child without one with a light blanket. It may have been late April, but the nights could still get cool. In fact, it was a bit nippy that evening, and he had nothing to do about it this time. 

 

With a sigh, he perched himself on the window sill and stared out into the night.

 

He didn't believe that Bunny hadn't told the others. It would be nice if the Pooka kept quiet about Jack's little issues, but he wasn't going to bet on it. And even by some chance he hadn't aired out Jack's troubles with them, sooner or later, it would all come to light anyways. Stuff like this always did.

 

Jack had read enough books and sat in on enough college psych lectures to know he had problems. The centuries of isolation, of the things he'd seen and been through, of his long shitty life in general - it all added up and he couldn't heal from that mess all on his own. He'd been managing, been trying not to avoid or deny his unhealthy behaviors, been working at facing the demons in his mind. But he knew that he'd need help, need support. And now that he was getting to know the Guardians better over the past four years, he couldn't see them pushing him away.

 

At least he hoped and prayed they wouldn't. He wasn't sure he could handle losing the only real friends he had.

 

A shuffling sound came from the floor, making the winter spirit break from his thoughts and look down. Jamie rolled over in his sleep and groped around. Once he found Jack's cool foot hanging down from the window sill, the boy sighed and slipped into deeper slumber.

 

Jack smiled fondly at his little brother.

 

Well, even if things didn't go well with the Guardians, he still had Jamie.

 

With Jamie as steady support and safe haven, Jack could deal with the rest.

 

He shifted to sit on the floor, his back to the wall and legs bent, one foot still captured by the boy's hand. Smiling, Jack closed his eyes and let a light sleep take him.

 

Somehow, it would all work out.

 

Somehow...

 

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, there's part three like promised. 
> 
> On one hand, I feel a bit bad for messing with Jack so much. On the other..., well, at least I'm having him get help? Kinda? He's got Jamie! Jamie's support is major positive for Jack!
> 
> We'll see appearances from a Guardian or maybe even two in the next part, for those who are waiting to have them come back into this.


End file.
